For many years people have saved old newspapers to eventually tie the same in bundles or put them in paper bags to be transported to a recycle facility. With the more recent ecological emphasis on recycling of materials, such activity has increased and along with it has evolved an increased need for a container to store the newspapers in a convenient and not unsightly fashion, and to assist in the bundling of the same.
Over the years many devices have been designed in an attempt to meet these needs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,180 discloses a rack which has four corner shelves on which a stack of newspapers may be positioned. The shelves are positioned well above the floor on legs so that a bundling cord may be tied around the newspaper. In addition to taking up a large amount of space, this device is also impractical due to weight, storage and other standpoints because, for example, for stability purposes, a table with panels and other elements are deemed necessary.
More recently, a more compact and lighter weight container has been designed as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 249,617. This container, having four upright corners, likewise lacks in stability and moreover permits the newspapers to sag in the center which can be deleterious if care is not taken when placing newspapers, particularly the first several newspapers, in the container. The stability problem has been somewhat solved by an even more recent similar product in which the tops of the four corners are tied together by an upper rim.
Nevertheless, problems with these prior products continue to exist. Most specifically, none of the prior art is configured to accept a paper bag within which the papers can be conveniently positioned if desired. Thus, in the devices of either of the patents discussed hereinabove, if the user wished to place the newspapers in a paper bag rather than tieing the same, the bag could certainly be positioned in the container but then it would have to be removed to position newspapers therein, and then repositioned in the container--totally defeating the purpose thereof.